Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-03-08
HUNTED DOWN.

tive work, but the very first case as
signed me had more peril in it than any
four Others combined. ! had done
spot ting" and Swallowing and had
helped on two or three cases, when |
was sent to Milwaukee to look after
an embezzler. The case was stated in
nutshell. A Mrs. Pierce. a widow
of wealth, and woman who trusted |
her servants altogether too much. re-
ceived one day from the east by ex-
press package of money amounting
to $4,000. She had been in the
habit Of sending her butler to the |
bank to make deposits for her,
and now and then. to draw
money on her written order. He
had been with her for several years
as a sort Of man of all work
in the house, and she had found
him strictly honest. She gave him
the money to deposit without a
fear of his being tempted. He was
not seen after he left the house. He
did not go to the bank, and for three
or four days Mrs. Pierce and others
labored under the belief that he had
been robbed and murdered. The
hunt for his dead body was going on
when l reached Milwaukee.
The name OF The butler was John
Lane, and he was described to me as
sandy haired, red-faced man, weigh
| ing 160 pounds, and wearing a sandy
| moustache. His habits were declared
to be above reproach, and Mrs. Pierce
Indignantly resented my suggestion
that he might have run away. So
did the local detective who had the
| case in hand / held from the first
to the theory that lie had run away.
He had been told to hurry back. He
could have reached the bank in walk
OF fifteen minutes, having only two or
three turns to make. 1t was at
2 O'Clock in the afternoon, and
he could be in no personal dam
ger. No one could be found
who had seen him between the house
and the bank, although he was well
| known. But the best clue was found
in Lanes room. There was a hand
full OF sandy hair in paper under the
lavatory. There was another paper
spotted with lather, in which were
enough bristles to make q moustache
I n I 1,
which had contained hair dye.
Mrs. Pierce received the money
| about 10 O'Clock in the forenoon, an6
she remarked to Lane that she would
have him deposit alter dinner. II,
waited on the table at noon, and
there was no change in his appear
| ance, and between that time and 2 h
shaved off his moustache, cut off ;
lot OF his hair, applied the dye, and
Mrs. Pierce remembered that he wa
muffied up as he went out, leaving b,
the side door.
Now came the hardest part of tn
work. When you know which way E
criminal is heading it is quite easy t.
keep his trail, but when you can't sa,
whether he is in New York or Omaha
or that he may not be hiding within
two blocks of you, it is quite a differ
ent matter. From the servants in th
house | learned that Lane had Away
declared that he hated the very sigh
of cities and towns, and had no car
. for fine clothes and society. He ais
1 had a great horror of the water. Thl
, seemed to argue that he would no
: head for Europe, as | at first feared
1t was we'll known that he had hol
e horror of the west, having read of sa,
;. age Indians, prairie fires, grizzly bear
& rattlesnakes, etc. That seemed to a.
que that he would not 90 west. Woul
II he 90 north or south? | was helpe
e out OF my dilemma in curious wa,
5 / had been at every steamboat olfiC
r and railroad depot, meeting with n
success, and was standing in front (
; the Second National bank, when
l. farmer-looking man accosted me witt
e "What do you say about this bill
l. l say it's good and the old woma
2 saws it's bad?"
: 1t was five he had, and the "ol
s. woman" sat in a wagon on the opp
. site side OF the street.
q "Why does she suspect it to
IS bad!" l asked, as | surveyed Il
) bill.
d well, it was given to me four {
/; five days ago by chap who rode OF
IS home with US, had supper, and the
i. cut across to the railroad station.
e. shouldn't have charged him over Sc
t, enty-fve cents at the most, and b
r liberality seems queer"
lie was dead certain from his FIR
A. words that had got track OF n
4 man. We went into the bank to sa
- isfy him that the bill was all RICH
IS and then crossed to the wagon.
is want to tell you that country Poop
Dr. are bead and shoulders above t
ID average city residents i'll the matt
e. of observation and in remember
q what they see.
W "Well, one reason why l suspe
III this man." said the wife, ''was becau
IS his hair was dreadfully haggled al
is then dyed. Such botch work "
"a never saw. His hair was allin strea
rs OF black and red, and he'd got the d
IL | on his ears and neck
The fellow had tried to play sma
in leaving the city by one OF the his
ways, but accident had revealed /
e trail. He had taken the train at
station about fifteen miles away, a
he had four days the start Dime. 1
first move was to run out to the cot
ce try station at which he had taken
d; train. 7 there found that he h